Vandy Shows Impressively in Home Opener

In a game where all three scholarship Quarterbacks saw action, Vandy cruised to a 42-0 victory on Saturday in their home opener against the Bulldogs of Alabama A&M.

The ‘Dores notched their first shutout since 2012, in a 40-0 victory against Kentucky.

The Commodores are 2-0 for the first time under Head Coach Derek Mason after beating MTSU and the Bulldogs, as Vandy looks to be much improved on all phases from a season ago heading into the contest with Kansas State.

Quarterback Kyle Shurmur completed 15 of 18 for 202 yards, and 4 touchdowns, along with a rushing score, all in the first half. The Commodores led 35-0 at halftime. Shurmur threw for just nine touchdowns in all of 2016, he now has seven through two games.

Shurmur’s Saturday was good for the highest completion rate in program history as the Junior played just a single series into the third quarter, later pulled in favor of Redshirt Freshman Deuce Wallace.

Vandy featured a three pronged backfield on Saturday as Redshirt Freshman Jamauri Wakefield saw his first action as a Commodore rushing for 65 yards on 15 attempts.

Senior Ralph Webb and Khari Blasingame each added a touchdown, but their work was limited with just 19 carries between them as the trio rushed for 174 yards combined.

Shurmur would find Pinkney rather quickly, as the ‘Dores scored on their first offensive play to begin the third quarter – the Commodores final points of the ball game.

Sevier County native Deuce Wallace played much of the second half, as the in-state product went 3 for 7 for 19 yards. Shawn Stankavage was the third to see action after battling knee injuries the past two seasons.

The defense would preserve the shutout as the Bulldogs were pretty inept offensively against a stout Commodore defense, posting just 103 yards total offense, while the ‘Dores forced two interceptions as well as a blocked punt courtesy of Andrew Rector on the special teams unit.

Emmanuel Smith led the Vandy defense with 10 tackles, while Charles Wright and Josh Smith each contributed a sack, leading the pass rush. Wright now has 3 sacks, while teammate Dare Odeyingbo has 2.5, good for a top five SEC tandem through a pair of contests.

The Commodores will return to action on West End on Sept. 16, as the highly anticipated matchup with No. 19 Kansas State looms.